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by Bill Lasarow “We live in a world, in the real world that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power. These are the iron laws of the world since the beginning of time.” — Presidential aide Stephen Miller, New York Times , 01/06/26 The current president’s pardons issue this message: “If you break the law to protect me, you will be supported, and if you uphold the law to restrain me, you will be persecuted.” — New York Times   Editorial , 01

by Margaret Hawkins ICE agent smashing a car window. Photo courtesy of ProPublica. On a recent Sunday I was sitting in my 20-year-old car, waiting to merge into traffic, when I heard a loud bang next to my face. My side window had exploded and suddenly I was covered in broken glass. I thought I’d been shot. I felt myself for blood, waited for pain. Later my mechanic told me the regulator arm had snapped when I depressed the button to open the electric window. I was lucky it w

by Liz Goldner Illustration by Edel Rodriguez. In March 2025 I wrote about  The Coming Replay of “Degenerate Art”  in the TDC eJournal. My motivation was that the Trump administration’s cultural dictatorship is striving to trivialize Washington D.C.’s Smithsonian Institution — what the Atlantic Magazine  called our “country’s narrative.” The January 22, 2026 Atlantic  article explains, “George Brown Goode … wanted it to consist of ‘museums of record’ — cultural institutions t

by Bill Lasarow “The desecration is not a broken façade. It’s a broken covenant.” —Rick Wilson, 10/24/25 Anselm Kiefer, “Sülamith,” 1983, oil, emulsion, shellac, acrylic paint, woodcut, and straw on linen, 113 1/2 x 146”. Courtesy of SFMOMA, San Francisco. The tearing down of the East Wing of the White House to make way for a ballroom — one among other acts of cultural and architectural vandalism — is emblematic of the monopoly on power that the American Dictator aspires to.

by Margaret Hawkins Paul Cezanne, “The Cardplayers,” 1893-1896, oil on canvas, 18 1/2 x 22 1/4”. Courtesy of the Musée D’Orsay, Paris. As if Americans weren’t already polarized by the messes we’re entrenched in, Charlie Kirk’s assassination took it to a new level. Politicians and religious leaders spoke about rising above our differences, but that’s not at all what happened. If anything, trash talking intensified. Everybody doubled down on their side. What happened: A twenty-

by Liz Goldner Laguna Art Museum , Laguna Beach Continuing through January 18, 2026 The Legacy Project, “The Great Picture,” 2006, the world's largest photograph on a single seamless muslin canvas, 32 x 111 feet. Courtesy of The Legacy Project. “Eternal Construction” is a group exhibition of photographers who examine California’s constantly evolving landscape. Through the eyes of 13 individuals and one consortium of six artists, the show traverses the nexus of fine art and do

by DeWitt Cheng August 30, 2025 It’s a Perfect Administration The best people, hired by a stable genius, make perfect calls. Until they...

by Bill Lasarow August 30, 2025 Valerie Hegarty, “Stove with 4th of July Cake and Teapot (The Covid Diaries Series), 2020, foamcore,...

by Margaret Hawkins August 30, 2025 T he Kohler Art Preserve in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, which opened in 2021, is one of my favorite places....

by Liz Goldner August 30, 2025 Tanks proceed down Constitution Ave. during the military parade for the Army's 250th anniversary...

by Liz Goldner August 2, 2025 Ed Bereal, "War Babies" Poster, 1961. L-R: Ed Bereal eating a watermelon, Larry Bell eating a bagel, Joe...

by Mark Van Proyen August 2, 2025 Adrian Ghenie, “Rest During the Flight into Egypt,” 2016, oil on canvas. Courtesy Pace Gallery, ©...

by Bill Lasarow August 2, 2025 Georges de la Tour, “The Magdalen with the Smoking Flame,” c. 1638-40, oil on canvas. Courtesy of Los...

by Liz Goldner July 1, 2025 Violins from Mr. Weinstein’s collection on display in his workshop. Many in his collection had been owned by...

by Margaret Hawkins July 1, 2025 Julien Creuzet, Venice Biennale installation, 2024. Courtesy of the artist. Recently a six-year-old girl...

by DeWitt Cheng July 1, 2025 Hands Off Democracy/No King Ocean Beach The tide is turning, finally. The basic numbers: over 2,000...

by Bill Lasarow July 1, 2025 Vik Muniz, “The Tower of Babel, after Pieter Brueghel (Gordian Puzzles),” 2007, photograph of puzzle pieces,...

Raphael, “The School of Athens,” 1511, fresco, 18 x 25’. Courtesy of The Vatican. The horizon is necessarily one of the most venerated...

Ginny Stanford, “Portrait of The First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton,” 2006, acrylic on canvas, gold leaf on wood, 108 x 81 1/4”. Courtesy...

= Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall...